How to Defeat Office Depression

How to Defeat Office Depression

In his classic, "The Prophet," Kahlil Gibran writes: "Always you have been told that work is a curse... But I say to you that when you work you fulfill a part of earth's furthest dream, assigned to you when that dream was born."

Unfortunately Kahlil's words don't jibe with a new Australian study that found almost one in six cases of depression among working people caused by job stress, that nearly one in five (17 percent) working women suffering from depression attribute their condition to job stress and more than one in eight (13 percent) working men do the same. In the last decade, the number of American workers that say job stress is a major problem in their lives has doubled. In fact, the US Department of Health reported that 70 percent of physical and mental complaints at work are related to stress.

What do we do? Bring our Kleenex to work and hope we don't get caught crying, or give our notice with no other job in reach? Thankfully, we have a few steps between these two extremes. Here are 12 techniques that have helped me manage the workplace blues.